Gasoline Alley to see major road changes

Gasoline Alley will be humming with construction activity this summer.

Red Deer County has embarked on a number of major construction projects, which will give a new look to the fast-growing area.

The existing Waskasoo Avenue is being reconstructed from Lantern Street to Leva Avenue as part of $6.1-million worth of planned upgrades for the area.

“This will involve an entire re-build of this section of road to an urban standard and requires the realignment of the road onto a new undeveloped road allowance,” says county construction manager Chris Black.

Waskasoo is also being renamed Laura Avenue.

The project will also see two new roundabouts, one at the intersection of Lantern Street and Laura Avenue, and the other at the intersection of Liberty Avenue and Laura Avenue.

“Since the Gaetz Avenue Interchange project will be a creating a new Gasoline Alley access for southbound Hwy 2 traffic at Laura Avenue, this road construction is necessary to accommodate that new traffic flow,” says Black.

To service new commercial developments sprouting up in the area, water and storm water lines and underground power lines are being upgraded.

In a separate project, Alberta Transportation is building a third roundabout at Laura Avenue and Leva Avenue as part of its $80-million interchange project already well underway.

The county’s construction work began last month and is expected to be completed by mid-September.

Drivers will face detours as the work is completed. Lantern Street is currently closed at Laura Avenue and is expected to re-open in mid-June. After that, the Laura Avenue and Liberty Avenue intersection will be closed for six to seven weeks.

This summer, Gasoline Alley will also see work proceed on a large 86-lot residential project called Liberty Landing that is being developed by Calgary’s Lamont Land Inc.

A 200-unit assisted living project just south of Red Deer Toyota is also being built by H&H Total Care Services.